Great Swamp Conservancy attracts migrating birds just in time for annual festival

The great blue heron and osprey returned to the Great Swamp Conservancy later than usual this year, arriving in mid-April rather than late March.

But the birds and their nests arrived just in time for the nature center’s annual Spring Migration Festival, which will welcome visitors to the 150-acre preserve just outside Canastota next weekend.

Great blue heron began settling in the swamps off Pine Ridge Road and North Main Street in the early 1990s, said Mike Patane, Great Swamp Conservancy executive director .

Patane said the herons were attracted to the cluster of dead trees in the swamp, which offered protection from predators and easy access to food. The rookery — or colony of nests — began with a handful of birds and grew to more than 44 nests.

The osprey followed soon after, taking up residence on platforms installed high atop telephone poles, which mimic the tops of dead trees. Patane said the birds hadn’t been seen in the area for 30 years before their return.

If you go

What: Spring Migration Festival

Where: Great Swamp Conservancy, 8375 N. Main St., Canastota

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., next Saturday and Sunday

Cost: Donation of $3 for adults, $1 for children younger than 12.

Details: The nature, art, craft and children’s festival will feature conservation displays, nature walks, wagon rides to the center’s overlook, live music, food and beverages. Nature artists and crafters will work in their festival studios. Talon’s Birds of Prey will have presentations at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon and 3 p.m. on Sunday. The lineup also includes the Central New York Antique Tractor Club, Wood Creek Reptiles, and native plants and edible landscaping from Growing Wild. Sunday will feature SweeTrees maple syrup products and maple cotton candy and an exhibit by the Living Collection with wolf, coyote and red fox. Bird walks will be offered at 8 a.m. each day.

Even amateur birdwatchers can tell the difference between the birds. Great blue herons stand 4 feet tall, with a wingspan of up to 4 feet and a bright yellow bill. In flight, the majestic birds tuck their feet beneath their bodies and curve their necks into a distinctive “S” shape.

The osprey are part of the hawk family, with a hooked bill and a wingspan of up to 6 feet.

For the most part, the species keep to themselves in the swamp, co-existing in relative peace, Patane said.

But they are on full display for birdwatchers who flock to the overlook hoping to catch a glimpse of the birds, their nests and their offspring through binoculars.

“You can see them,” Patane said. “They have a presence.”

The site received recognition from Audubon New York in 2005 when it was named an Important Bird Area — a program that identifies locations that provide crucial breeding, wintering or migration stopover habitats for birds.

The honor noted the nests of the osprey and great blue heron, uncommon birds that are considered threatened or in long-term decline. The center’s grassland habitat is home to the upland sandpiper and the eastern meadowlark, and in a nearby wetland, waterfowl like the blue-winged teal and the northern shoveler frolic. During migration season, a whole new flock stops by for a visit, including bald eagles, pie-billed grebes and woodcocks.

The Great Swamp is also trying to re-establish populations of northern bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasant.

The nonprofit recently received two federal grants for marketing and advertising efforts.

“They say we’re the best kept secret in the area,” Patane said. “But I want more people to know about us.”